Procore names first new CEO in over 2 decades

Procore, the practically ubiquitous contech giant, has announced a successor for founder and CEO Tooey Courtemanche, according to a Monday news release. Courtemanche is stepping down from the role in November.

The Carpinteria, California-based company tapped Ajei Gopal, a tech executive with 35 years of experience, as the CEO designate. Gopal’s anticipated start date is Nov. 10, following Procore’s Q3 earnings announcement. Courtemanche will then transition out of operational responsibilities and focus on his role as chair of the board of directors.

Before joining Procore, Gopal was the CEO of Ansys, a firm that creates engineering simulation software, from 2017 to 2025, according to the release. While there, Ansys more than tripled its revenue, nearly quadrupled its market value and joined the ranks of the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100. 

In addition, Gopal has held senior leadership positions at Hewlett-Packard, CA Technologies and Symantec, per the release. He also served as an operating partner at private equity technology investment firm Silver Lake.

Courtemanche hands over the reins of the company he founded in 2002 during a transformative period in the construction industry where builders — often begrudgingly — transitioned from paper to digital project management. Along the way, the millions of details that go into the successful erection of structures and infrastructure projects started migrating into the online world, as well.  

As they did, Courtemanche led the firm to deal with the frustration he encountered building his own home through an initial public offering in 2021. 

Now, builders are increasingly taking their technological destinies into their own hands with solutions that can tailor to their specific problems. This comes amid a glut of artificial intelligence offerings, which builders are scrambling to add to their workflows as they figure out what functions in an industry where the practice of moving fast and breaking things — the mantra of digital disruptors — can have dangerous consequences.

Throughout his tenure, Courtemanche often balanced the need for a new approach to the administration of construction, sometimes with an evangelical zeal, with the reality of the physical challenges of the built environment. 

“Procore does more than build software — we’re a mission-driven platform empowering people to build the places that shape our world,” Courtemanche said in the release. “Ajei’s experience leading a vertical software company to billions in revenue uniquely positions him to help us scale and capture the opportunity ahead.”